The state trooper alleged racial discrimination played a role in his dismissal from the governor’s personal security team.
Pennsylvania State Police Corporal Joshua Mack filed a lawsuit alleging that his race cost him a position on Gov. Josh Shapiro’s security detail. Mack, who is white, claims he overheard senior officers discussing the need for “more minorities” on the team. He is one of the longest-serving members of the State Police security unit, having joined the detail in 2011 during former Gov. Ed Rendell’s administration. Mack previously rose through the ranks after becoming a State Police officer in 2004.
“Mack’s removal and replacement on the Governor’s Detail were motivated by race considerations and intended to satisfy the Pennsylvania State Police’s stated goal of increasing minority representation in the Governor’s Detail,” the lawsuit argues. “As a result, Mack suffered loss of pay, loss of overtime income, diminished professional opportunities, and emotional distress.” Both the Pennsylvania State Police and Gov. Shapiro’s office declined to comment and have not yet filed a response to the lawsuit.
According to Mack’s official complaint, two superior officers informed him on March 25, 2025 of his removal from the Governor’s Detail. At the time, Mack claims officers cited only “administrative changes” for the reason behind his dismissal. His performance as an officer had not been called into question. Mack further argues his performance reviews were “exemplary” and had received a stellar rating from the Pennsylvania State police within a year prior to his removal from the team. The officers who replaced Mack were both minorities, and “less qualified, with no dignitary-protection experience,” according to the suit.
Mack, who retained his rank of corporal, was reassigned “back to patrol,” according to his attorney, Anthony T. Bowser. The return to patrol duties is widely viewed as a demotion and represented a “drastic change,” Bowser said, noting that Mack had not worked patrol in nearly 15 years. In addition to lost wages and emotional distress, Bowser and Mack argue that the Pennsylvania State Police’s stated goal of increasing minority representation on the force constitutes illegal racial discrimination and has caused irreparable harm to Mack’s professional reputation.
Bowser and Mack formally requested a trial by jury and argued his lost wages are north of $50,000 annually, since pay for patrol duty is capped, unlike his position with Gov. Shapiro’s security detail. The lawsuit specifically names the two superior officers that informed him of his dismissal, Corporal John Nicholson of the Pennsylvania State Police, and Lt. Colonel George Bivens, who is Nicholson’s superior officer. The lawsuit does not mention Gov. Shapiro or his administration by name, but references the state’s recent increase in diversity, equity and inclusion practices.
“We do not comment on personnel matters or pending litigation,” Pennsylvania State Police said in its only on-the-record statement. A spokesperson for the State Police also declined to release the identities of the officers who were hired to replace Corporal Mack. The official complaint was initially filed with the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission and could now be heard by a state court.
